A recent campus talk explored how clinical trials of HIV/AIDS drugs in developing countries in the 90s sparked a wealth of discussions about ethics in scientific investigation and barriers to healthcare access.

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Jeremiah Stamler’s scientific work is so cutting-edge, it recently earned him roughly half a million dollars in funding from a competitive grant program at the National Institutes of Health. Stamler turns 100 next month. For his birthday, the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is throwing its longtime professor a party it knows he will appreciate: one filled with science. Researchers from across the country will convene to discuss the future of heart health and Stamler’s trailblazing work on the topic.

With that focus, “Dad’s parenting questions can fall to the wayside,” says Dr. Craig Garfield, a professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and an attending physician at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. And the lack of attention to a new father’s needs can have ripple effects that impact the whole family — in the short-run and later, Garfield says.

Social determinants of health represent “a phenomenon outside of biology and genetics, outside of traditional risk factors,” said Dr. Clyde Yancy, professor and cardiology chief at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “When you deconstruct the social determinants of health, one of the most important variables is education – along with income, housing density, violence and stress,” said Yancy, who was not involved in the study but co-authored a report from the American Heart Association about the influence of social factors on cardiovascular disease. The study demonstrates a need for doctors to “listen more,” Yancy said.

Vikas Jain, a sleep medicine doctor at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, said most working adults don’t make time for naps. But he recommends midafternoon naps, especially for people who get less than seven hours of sleep at night. Jain said the naps should be no longer than about 30 minutes. “The communal napping is a newer idea but I like the idea of trying to eliminate the stigma that surrounds sleep,” Jain said. “People don’t want to come forward and let anyone know they are tired … and we are trying to cram so much into our day that we’re not taking care of ourselves.”